Through Metamorphosis
by RWThunder
Summary: Ed had a confession to make. Roy x Ed Fluff,Yaoi,Lemon,TLC,slightly AU
1. Part I

**Disclaimer:** I do not FMA. Someday…

**Warnings:** This is **YAOI**, aka, **SLASH**. If you (a) are homophobic or (b) don't support this pairing—why are you here? Be off with you, I say. **You have been warned. **

**Author's Note:** This fic is classified as being "slightly AU" because, hey, it is. If you're familiar with the anime or the manga, know that both Ed and Al manage to overcome Dante unscathed—and with their original bodies. Same side of the gate, no more Philosopher's stone, no automail or suit of armor. Also disregard the movie.

Through Metamorphosis

By RWThunder

Part I

"Go, he's waiting for you." Winry's expression was unreadable. Roy Mustang, former Brigadier-General and State Alchemist found that, despite his infamous eloquence, he had no idea how to reply.

The Flame Alchemist had lived through many wars, killed many people, and faced numerous inner demons along the way. Now, in the quiet countryside of Resembool, after exchanging a few words with a sixteen-year-old automail engineer and a certain Metal Alchemist, Roy was shaken.

Shocked, stunned, flabbergasted—all synonyms for an emotion that he was not accustomed to feeling, much less exhibiting. Frowning slightly at the young blonde—who refused to meet his eyes—Roy tried his best to understand their recent and somber exchange. Comprehension, as it turned out, was harder to achieve than Mustang had previously thought—without his morning coffee, at least.

"_Good morning, Mustang," Winry was washing dishes when Roy got back to the house. He started, internally damning his nerves. Roy Mustang was not used to being surprised. That morning, however, had been full of surprises—or maybe the surprising thing about his talk with Ed was that he hadn't been surprised…_

_The Flame Alchemist realized that he was ignoring Winry and rapidly pulled himself together._

"_Good morning, Winry." He replied, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the doorframe, trying to look as natural as he could. At ease, relaxed, calm. Maybe if he could fool the engineer, he could fool himself as well; at least that was the plan._

"_We missed you and Ed at breakfast." The teen commented off-handedly, her back to Roy. The sound of running water and clinking porcelain almost masked the tone of her voice; at any rate, it served to rescue the air in between the two youths from the fate of awkward silence. For this, Roy was grateful. _

"_Sorry about that." He said after a time, watching her closely. _

"_Aren't you two hungry?" It was more obvious this time—there was a tremor in the blonde's voice, a sound that indicated a great deal of restrained emotion. Her shoulders were tense._

"_I can hold out until lunch. However, I cannot speak for Ed." He said this carefully, suddenly distracted from his own plight as he focused on Winry—the daughter of two innocent people that he had killed under orders, two out of thousands, but the only ones with surviving relations to deal out the guilt he deserved. _

_Winry was the last of his guilt, his self-hatred, and his past._ _Everything else that composed General Mustang was buried—literally. Roy supposed it was only fair that he never be free of his sins, not completely. Winry was a reminder to him, a reminder that one cannot blindly follow orders—safe, clean, and justified as it may seem. _

_Murder is murder. It sounded like something Ed would say. Ed…_

"_Mustang, why did you come here?"_ _Winry had abandoned the dishes and was wiping her hands dry as she turned to face him._

"_To the kitchen…?" _

"_To Resembool."_ _She tucked the rag into her pocket and folded her arms expectantly. Abrupt was the word that came to mind. Abrupt, direct, and aggressive—clearly the mechanic had been mulling over the question for some time. Consequently, so had Roy. _

"_Does my presence upset you? Is it because—" He began._

"_No, it's not because of that." Winry cut him off sharply, hands clenching at her sides. The Flame Alchemist sighed, trying not to think about what it had to be like for her. He was her parents' murderer, a mockery of their lives who would forever embody her loss and accentuate their absence. _

"_After the election of the new parliament I discovered that there was no longer a place for me in the military. I had nowhere to go and Ed was kind enough to offer me a place to stay for awhile. I should have realized that he'd come back here, if I had known, I wouldn't have come with him." Roy said slowly. _

"_So Ed asked you to come?" Winry asked, giving Roy a hard look._

"_Yes. He was visiting shortly after his and Al's victorious return—I was still hospitalized then—and recall alluding to my predicament. He generously offered his company, admitting that he too was finished with the government, and suggested coming here." Out of mild suspicion and instinctual tact, the former general refrained from describing Edward's eager insistence to the girl. The blond narrowed her eyes._

_Already an idea was forming in Roy's calculative mind, bringing with it the familiar pang of guilt sparking in his gut. _

_Winry and Ed had been childhood friends, that friendship had never died even though they had been apart for so long. Winry had been invaluable to Ed on account of her engineering skills and had visited often. It had been Winry who had given the Fullmetal one his automail in the beginning. They were peers, adolescents, and Winry was—jealous…?_

"_Mustang, did you come here because you needed a place to stay or because you needed someone to be with?" She demanded._

"_Winry—"_

"_Were you ever actually interested in Riza, lieutenant Hawkeye?"_

"_Winry, please—"_

"_You're a real ladies man, lots of women like you. I've always wondered why you never seemed to care. I used to think that you thought you were too good for them—or maybe you just liked the attention, maybe you'd had your heart broken before, or maybe you just didn't want to juggle your ambition and your love-life at the same time." The auto-mail engineer took a deep breath. _

"_But I was wrong, wasn't I? It's not just women—everyone knew how respected and admired you were in the military, how inspiring you were to your peers and subordinates. You were inspiring to Ed, Mustang, even if you weren't trying to impress him. Or maybe you were, were you…?" She trailed off._

_Roy_ _was suddenly minutely aware of his heart pounding against his ribcage. _

"_Winry, Riza Hawkeye and myself have defined the nature of our relationship quite clearly. As to the attention I receive from the rest of the female populous, you were correct in stating that I am uncomfortable balancing my career and my romantic liaisons—nonexistent as they are." The Flame Alchemist heard himself speaking and let the words flow, thankful for the years of experience the military had given him in terms of being quick on your feet—not to mention thinking fast and responding progressively under stress. These talents were invaluable, and yet, his aversion of her question would not solve the problem at hand. _

"_As to my militaristic reputation—"_

"_Mustang, did you ever try to impress Ed?" The aggression was gone from her voice. What replaced her apparent anger was almost worse; that down-trodden tone someone uses when they feel they've lost ground. What did Winry feel she'd lost?_

"_No." It was the truth, yet somehow, Roy felt guilty about his answer. After all, Winry seemed to be implying more than she had the heart to actually accuse him of._

"_Winry, was there something else you wanted to ask me?" He couldn't believe he was prompting her. "A question about Ed, maybe?" The blond looked up from the floor at this, giving him a thoughtful look. Suddenly, she smiled._

"_I like him, Mustang, I like him a lot. You know that we grew up together—he, Al, and I—and I guess I always thought I meant something to him. Even before I got to thinking about things, I was always resentful when he'd talk about you. I know he's insolent, but…but you must realize how much he respects you, like he always has, like he does now." Abruptly, Winry turned back to the sink and turned on the water. _

_Roy_'_s instincts told him to flee the kitchen and its insightful sixteen-year-old inhabitant as soon as possible—but the small part of him that understood exactly what she was talking about begged its remuneration. Remembering to breathe, the Flame Alchemist approached the sink and took a plate from the counter. _

"_I respect him as well." He began scrubbing. Winry cast him a side-long look, examining the plate in his hands and watching as he washed it meticulously. _

"_You like him." The mechanic said simply, removing the plate from his hands to dry it and stack it on top of its fellows. Roy selected a piece of silverware from the frothy depths of the sink and went to work._

"_It's strange, you took away my parents and now you're taking Ed." The fork plunged back into the warm bubbles from whence it came, leaving Roy's hands with nothing to keep them from trembling._

"_I'm sorry. I don't really mean that. Ed likes you, too—I'm just being selfish. You're a good person, Mustang, I could never hate you for that reason alone—no matter what you do." Winry retrieved the utensil and dried it thoroughly._

_You like someone, someone likes you back…was it really so simple as all that? Roy had never been in a serious relationship before. He'd been on dates with women, kissed some, romanced here and there—his virginity had been lost somewhere in the mix—he didn't remember the name or face of the honored lady, however. _

_Winry's affection for Ed was undoubtedly different from his own.. Yes, it was affection, affection for Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. In Roy's mind, it had been entirely the shrimp's fault. Roy had been amused and intrigued by him at first, impressed, later, by his extraordinary exhibition of skill and adult prowess. The extent of his admiration was cut short, however, by Ed's age and the ranks that separated them._

_But Ed had been clever. He had never been anything but himself, always honest and upfront. To the former general, Ed's rudeness and cheek was preferred to the deceptively submissive demeanor of his comrades. Roy had a hard time finding people that he could trust, people that weren't fakes. With Ed, there had never been any question. _

_From there, the Fullmetal one had only to hold his rare position on Roy's mental chart of importance and credibility. When that place was held, things could only move forward. For the most part, the progression from State Alchemist and Colonel to Alchemist and Alchemist had been subconscious. One day, Ed simply wasn't his subordinate._

_It had been near the end of the troubles in Lior when Roy felt, for the first time, that crucial connection between Ed and himself as people; things had gone very far since their first meeting in Central._

_Ed was a man now, he had changed and grown throughout the years, innocently entering into the inevitable metamorphosis that shapes a person—the final stage of growth in adolescence. Unfortunately for Roy, Ed had been as obvious and extroverted then as ever. He had always let himself shine shamelessly—but now he was blinding. _

_To witness a person evolve within themselves through strength, morality, and grace is always a wondrous thing to behold. Roy had witnessed a blossoming maturity in the boy that ripped apart every restraint that he had put on his feelings for Ed. The Fullmetal one was grown, now, but he wasn't the only one who had experienced changes._

_As Ed_ _developed physically and mentally, these transformations triggered a reaction in Roy's emotions. By the time Ed had revised himself completely, the Flame Alchemist discovered that his feelings for the boy had been equally revolutionized._

_His emotions towards the eldest Elric had been modified in much the same way as the boy himself, moving from reserved fondness to suppressed desire as Ed grew from a child into an adult before his eyes._

_The process had been so slow that Roy had not had time to prepare himself for the sudden eruption of lust that overcame him. His feelings, of course, were not composed solely of sexual craving—the corresponding morph of Ed's maturity and Roy's emotions had been too profound for him to be able to get away that easily. No, the former dog of the military was probably cultivating true infatuation for the first time in his life—if not guiltily. By that time he realized all this, of course, it was too late. _

"_Did you hear me? I said he likes you." The brunette jumped slightly at the abrasive intrusion into his thoughts. _

"_I suppose I could believe that." He answered calmly, draining the sink and handing Winry a fresh dishrag. The blond frowned at him._

"_What are you going to do about it? You like him, don't you? Isn't it different than with those girls that hound you?" The engineer maneuvered the plates and silverware safely into their cupboards, glancing over her shoulder to meet his eyes challengingly._

"_What makes you think that I have had any experiences with Ed with which to compare?" Roy shot back, folding the cloth over the edge of the sink. _

"_First Ed brings you home, you socialize with auntie and I, then the two of you disappear one morning. One has to wonder what kind of tension drove the two of you to get up at the crack of dawn—even before auntie—and meet up somewhere. It's obvious that something is going on." Roy lowered his head in defeat._

"_I congratulate you." He smiled, genuinely. "I know how Ed feels about me—if only since this morning. We've been talking, he and I. We've been…bonding." The brunette raised an eyebrow at Winry's sudden snort._

"_Bonding, hm?" The mood of their conversation was lifting rapidly._

"_I haven't touched him. A few minutes ago, I was about to, but…" Roy glanced out the window briefly._

"_You backed out. Was it because he told you how he felt?" Winry watched the former soldier carefully._

"_Yes." _

"_Idiot." The teen shook her head and mimicked Roy's visual sweep of the yard outside. "Humans want to be together, Mustang, they don't want to be alone. People don't want to be with just anyone, thought, you understand that. I wanted to be with Ed—but not if he doesn't want me. Besides, if Edward prefers you and you accept, that means that there's someone else out there for me, someone waiting to be with me. If that's the case, then you need to go outside right now and find my best friend." Winry had planted herself in front of Roy and was glaring up at him._

"_But you said…" The Flame Alchemist stared down at the mechanic, resigned to the fact that he would have to get used to surprises. _

"_Rejection hurts, but if you can make Ed happy…I don't know…I forgave you for my parents—I did—but somehow, because I love him too, I need you to do this for me. For me, and for Ed. For yourself, Roy." Winry laughed when she saw her companion's frown._

"_Don't berate yourself, Roy, you're not my parents' murderer, you're my best friend's lover. Fair?" The brunette hardly trusted himself to speak._

"_Fair." He needed to see Ed._ Roy started for the door. "Winry, I—"

"Don't apologize, Roy, go to him." She winked.

TBC

-Thunder


	2. Part II

Through Metamorphosis

By RWThunder

Part II

"_Roy, will you ever go back to the military?" Ed asked suddenly. The two alchemists, now relieved of their silver clocks, sat side by side beneath a tall tree. The sun was rising. _

"_No. What would be the point? After Ishbal, all I wanted to do was become the Fuhrer—that way I would never have to follow rash orders again. Now, the new parliament has been elected and besides, after my skirmish with Pride, I doubt they would have kept me long." He chuckled lightly, leaning back against the bark. _

"_Why do you ask?" _

"_I was just wondering." The blond replied, absently running his left hand up and down his arm. Roy had observed this action before, taking note of the fact that Ed still wasn't used to having his biological limbs._

"_I guess it's just strange to think of you as…not being in the military." He shrugged. _

"_Soldiers are people too, you know. You were one yourself." Roy pointed out, stretching out his legs in front of him. _

"_That's true. Not that I was ever very involved—aside from a mission or two—Al and I were mostly off looking for the stone." The corners of Ed's mouth twitched upward in a small smile. _

"_By my permission, as I recall." The former general replied. "Not that any disapproval on my part would have made a difference."_

"_Hm." Ed's smile was wider this time. Roy felt a shiver run down his spine . _

_At that moment, an image presented itself to his mind's eye. It was Ed, five years ago on the day of the train abduction. _

_The young alchemist was blocking his path, scowling. His posture was hunched and defiant, his hair tied back in its conservative braid and his hands balled into tight fists. An angry child. A stubborn, self-righteous, impudent child. Even then, these attributes had endeared him to Roy. _

_Ed was different now. Looking at him, Roy was still struck by how much he had changed. His body had lost its look of straining tension and awkwardness, not to mention the fact that he'd gained a few redeemable inches (a feat he had not let anyone overlook). Ed had started wearing his hair down more and more, also, he tossed the red jacket and began dressing more loosely, more casually._

_Many had also noticed a distinct change in his demeanor. As he aged, Edward lost none of his passion, but displayed it far more elegantly. He was still hot-tempered—only this ring of angry fire was surrounded by a calming layer of patience and responsibility. _

_The blonde's amber eyes were gentler, now, his voice and speech more refined. And, despite his countless reasons to be bitter and jaded, Edward Elric maintained a sunny disposition that could charm anyone, it seemed. _

_Roy_ _had always respected him in different ways—now he wasn't so sure what to call the emotion. It was bigger, it weighed heavier on his heart and mind, its power over the Flame Alchemist was stronger—stronger and more insisting than it had ever been. _

"_What are you staring at?" The brunette met the blonde's questioning eyes without faltering. _

"_You."_ _He replied, grinning. Ed frowned at him._

"_Why?" The eldest Elric gave his former superior a searching look. Roy thought for a moment._

"_Because I'm human."_ _He replied. "Get used to the fact that we aren't separated by rank anymore, Edward." The former general added with a smile. _

"_I could do that." Was the teen's immediate answer. For a time, they remained silent. _

"_Roy?" Ed stretched his legs out over the grass, turning on his side to address his companion._

"_Hm?"_

"_Did you ever feel like you never really knew the other people in the army? The soldiers that worked with you?" His voice was almost hesitant, a timbre away from shyness. _

"_What do you mean?" Roy turned his head to look at him._

"_It's like what we've been talking about, how people are different in the military. You have to be robotic, following orders, performing duties…I never acted like a conventional soldier, neither did Hughes," His tone dropped upon mentioning the name. "But, all in all, everyone behaved like a drone, or a machine. You know?" The blond furrowed his brow, struggling with his words._

"_Ah. I see." Roy sighed, recalling his old regiment and group of hand-selected subordinates: Havoc, Farman, Hawkeye…"I think, despite the retraining nature of the government and military, that many people managed to differentiate themselves—if in small ways. As to knowing people, I knew a soldier as a soldier, nothing more. Does that answer your question?" _

"_Yes." Ed dropped his eyes. _

"_Is that how you saw me back then, Edward? Or now?" Roy asked, hoping his question didn't come across as being too intrusive. Ed's amber eyes widened considerably. _

"_N-no!_ _You were different. You had a personality, Roy, an ambiance." The Fullmetal Alchemist smiled slightly._

" _As_ _I recall, your appreciation of my personality earned me no reprieve from your rudeness or aggression—what's changed, shorty?" He was asking for it and he knew it._

"_Nothing._ _And you were just an egotistical colonel with nothing but promotions on his mind." Ed huffed, sitting up with his back to Roy. _

"_Oh?" The ebony-haired alchemist sat up as well, stationed behind the miffed blond. "I thought I had an ambiance." He murmured, leaning close to Ed's ear. "I thought you said I was different, Edward." This came out as a low purr, accentuated by the former general's warm breath on Ed's ear. _

_Ed bit his lip, lowering his head so that his gold tresses hid his face—and his blush. _

"_Assuming you haven't withdrawn this confession, I'll give you one of my own." Roy said, moving to sit beside his fellow alchemist once more. "You were different too, Ed. You weren't like everyone else. I always loved that about you."_

"_I was just a stuck-up kid." Ed replied immediately, forgetting his sulking. "You were a colonel and a State Alchemist, I respected you." _

"_I respected you just as much—if not more." Roy insisted, turning to face his companion. _

"_Why?" _

"_I've already told you, you were different. You still are. You're something else, Edward, something special." The brunette mused. _

"_That's flattering, but I'm just like everyone else, Roy." Ed protested, turning slightly._

"_Not to me." Roy said softly, leaning just an inch closer. _

"_Roy, do you like it here?" The Metal Alchemist asked suddenly, lifting his gaze to meet the brunette's. Roy blinked._

"_I do. Resembool is just as you described it to me. It's beautiful." He watched the blond closely._

"_I'm glad you think so." Ed replied mildly. The sun had nearly climbed above the skyline._

"_Why does it matter what I think of it, Edward?" Roy pressed, resisting the sudden urge to touch his hair. _

"_Why wouldn't it?" The blond asked suspiciously. _

"_You tell me." Silence. "Edward, you've been avoiding my questions ever since we came here." Roy sat back, folding his arms over his chest. Still, the teen refused to answer._

_They had been playing this little game for days now. Roy had been trying, in earnest, to determine how Ed felt about him. It was an effort that had, so far, yielded nothing. He tried again._

"_Don't be afraid of me." _

"_I'm not!" Ed whirled around to face him._

"_Then why won't you answer me? Last night you asked me to meet you here. At the time, I assumed you wanted to talk about something. Was I wrong?" Roy tried to look approachable as Ed's eyes darted nervously from his face to the ground. Suddenly, he sighed heavily._

"_Give me your hand." Roy held one out in offering. Ed clasped it with both of his, pressing his left wrist to the brunette's fingertips. _

"_Your pulse…what's wrong? Your hands are shaking, Edward." Roy stared at the blond. _

"_You. You're what's wrong." He admitted. "I'm not afraid of you, Roy, I never was—even when I was younger. Everyone else was intimidated by you, but not me. I admired you, I suppose. Then, I didn't know how I felt about you. I guess I thought it was just a…" Ed trailed off, beginning to move his hands away. Roy caught them in both of his, squeezing gently. _

"…_a crush." _

"_Ed," The former general began._

"_Don't tell me I'm too young, Roy, don't try to tell me how I feel."_

"_Edward,"_

"_I brought you here because I wanted to get a chance to know you on equal ground. I wanted you to know me, to know who I've become."_

"_Edward, I—"_

"_I want to be with you, Roy, I've made up my mind. Give me a chance, please…!"_

"_Edward Elric!" Nervous golden eyes stared pleadingly into ebony._

"_I can't give you an answer right now." Roy said gently. _

"_What? Why?" Ed demanded, his voice shaky. _

"_Edward, I have to think about this." The brunette said firmly._

"_Stop kidding around—either you like me, or your don't." Roy faltered at the look on his face, the anguish that brought back memories of their time in the military. That face had introduced itself to Roy when Nina was murdered, then later when he had told Ed about the rebellion in Lior. Did he really care that much?_

"_Edward, please." The Flame Alchemist begged. Ed turned away from him, slouching into that familiar posture that told Roy that he would have to leave him alone. _

Roy spotted the tree a little ways off and broke into a run. Somehow, he knew that Ed was still there. Air rushed through the fabric of his white button-down shirt, the wind blowing behind him as though urging him on.

The former general jogged up the small hill and spotted Ed standing behind the tree. Catching his breath, Roy rounded the trunk and placed himself in front of the eldest Elric.

"Ed," He began. The blonde's hair hid his eyes from view.

"Edward," He placed his hands on the alchemist's shoulders, willing him to look up.

"Edward, I have to apologize to you, please look at me." That did the trick.

"Apologize for what?" His companion questioned, gazing at him uncertainly.

"I always liked you, Ed. I watched you grow up, every year strengthening my feelings. But…but we can't be together, it's not right. I would be taking advantage of you." He exhaled heavily and took in the blonde's expression. He blinked. Ed was grinning.

"Take advantage of this, you idiot." Soft lips, untouched by any other, brushed against Roy's with an insistence that had him re-thinking his answer. The instant he felt a tongue run over his bottom lip, the alchemist's resistance cracked.

Ed gasped when he was shoved roughly back against the tree, reveling in the feel of the other's hands raking through his hair and fingernails biting into his shoulders. Roy wasn't a gentle kisser. After a few heated seconds of warm, delicious wetness—the taller man pulled back.

Ed breathed deeply, flicking his tongue over his lips and tasting blood. He smiled, here it was, proof that he was wanted—that Roy wanted him. He opened his eyes.

" We have to stop, Edward, you know we do." With his tousled hair and flushed cheeks, the brunette was hard to take seriously. Ed could see it in his eyes, though, the guilt. He shook his head.

"That's not going to work." He warned. This time, the blond tried a different approach, clasping his hands behind Roy's neck and pulling him down—crushing their mouths together. After mere seconds, the former general was responding, just as before, this time gripping his hips harshly.

Ed had to admit, the Flame Alchemist's kiss was almost frightening. He could taste years of experience in every twist of Roy's tongue, every change of angle and pressure on his lips. The blond soon found, that against the intensity, all he could do was take gasping breaths—whenever he was given the opportunity—and hang onto his companion for dear life.

He was against the trunk again. Roy's hands snuck beneath the hem of his shirt, raking his blunt nails over the soft skin and effectively shocking every nerve in his body to attention. Ed's own hands slid into Roy's ebony hair, languidly running his fingers through it over and over.

The brunette grazed his teeth over the blonde's lips, licking away the blood where he found it. By way of apologizing, Roy moved his hand down the side of Ed's face, stroking his cheek repeatedly as he deepened the kiss even more, engaging the other's tongue in a friendly duel.

Finally, Ed broke the kiss, placing his hands on the brunette's chest in the universal sign of "stop." Roy pulled back immediately, forgetting that one of his hands was still teasing the skin of Ed's lower abdomen.

"Well, I'm glad we've discussed this." Ed said, smiling.

"I, for one, think I still have to make a few things clear." Roy replied, grinning wickedly.

TBC

-Thunder


	3. Part III

Through Metamorphosis

By RWThunder

Part III

Winry removed her gloves and took her hair down, sighing. She was in the work room, finishing her latest model of light-weight automail. The blonde's lips sunk into an uncharacteristic frown. Making the metal limb supplements wasn't like it used to be.

Ed had been her inspiration, her motivation to better her work. Whenever she was laboring away, she would think of how much easier things could be for Ed, of how she had the ability to make life more convenient for him, this thought encouraged her.

Now Ed no longer needed his automail, he no longer needed her, not in the same way. Winry had been his personal mechanic, doing everything from repairs, to visits, to advice and essentially working her butt off for him, all in voluntary earnest.

The blonde now realized that she had taken this drive for granted. It was a lot easier to devote yourself to automail when you had a friend who relied on your good technique. Of course, the world was full of people who needed automail, thousands in the country of Amestris alone. But Ed was Ed, her friend, and the Fullmetal Alchemist's determination and ambition were mightily contagious.

It was strangely symbolic: when Ed regained his limbs, his—her—automail was lost somewhere in the gate or beyond. In a way, this event illustrated the fact that Winry had lost this tie to him. It was equivalent trade, Edward exchanged Winry for Roy, metal for flesh. She sighed, remembering that even on the night that she had first attached Ed's automail, the fire in his eyes had told her one day he wouldn't need it.

The young engineer gazed out the window. Mustang had been gone for nearly an hour.

"Auntie?" She called, following the echo of her grandmother's answer to the kitchen.

"Let's go to Rush Valley today." They had been planning to visit the automail city for quite some time. Now that she had jumped into the situation with the her friend and the former colonel, however, it looked like things would be moving faster than was appropriate with family members present.

"I thought you wouldn't be finished with the new model until tomorrow." The older woman replied, looking up from her pipe.

"I finished it. I'll be packed in a minute." Winry said with a smile. Pinako was silent for a moment, eyeing her granddaughter suspiciously.

"Where have Ed and that young man gotten to? Have you seen them, Winry?" She asked suddenly.

"Roy was here awhile ago, we talked." The teen replied, shrugging. "They're outside somewhere." Her guardian raised her eyebrows.

"Roy…Roy Mustang! I remember now. He was that State Alchemist that came by on the night of Ed and Al's failed transmutation. A military man, isn't he? One of Edward's superiors?"

"Grandmother," Winry began, laughing. "Roy has been staying here for a week and you don't even know who he is?"

"I don't see why I should trouble remembering him from so far back, he definitely lacks a certain cordiality beyond introducing himself. I've hardly seen any of him this entire week. I just assumed he was a friend of Ed's and left it at that." Her grandmother said defensively.

"Roy's just…reserved." The blonde explained, her heart lifting at her unexpected desire to defend the man. That, and she could understand how he felt. She grinned inwardly, imagining the great Roy Mustang sweating over how to seduce her companion without exposing his intentions to Pinako and herself.

"Well then, will Ed and Mustang be alright by themselves?"

"Flame and Fullmetal can take care of each other." Winry replied, smiling. "And he's not a military man anymore, grandma, he left—just like Ed—they've both given up on the fighting." _And the killing_. Winry saw her parents in her mind for a moment before banishing the image.

"Well, it's good to see they've come to their senses. Honestly, using alchemy in the way the government demands…well, we'd better pack up." Pinako got to her feet, placing her pipe on the counter.

"Leave Ed and Mustang a note, will you, Winry dear?"

"Sure." The blonde fished out a piece of paper and a pen.

_Edward—_

_You'd better be grateful for this! Auntie and I have left a day early for Rush Valley just so that you two can be alone…_

--

"I'm a lot older than you, Edward." Came the brunette's soft voice, his tone bearing just the smallest trace of bitterness. Ed opened his eyes, turning his head slightly to look up at his companion from Roy's lap.

"That makes sense." He replied simply. His apathy seemed to soothe the Flame Alchemist, who smiled in return. Ed let his eyes slide shut again for a moment, breathing steadily to calm his heart. He had discovered in the last thirty minutes that even just kissing someone could take a lot out of you, or maybe it was just because Roy was so…experienced.

The blond frowned, considering their situation.

Convincing Roy that he wanted to try a relationship had revealed a different side of his former superior. The brunette was overbearing in his affection, rough and impatient, possessive and dominating in the most powerful of ways and yet, his actions triggered surges of burning desire in Edward's body that spoke only of true talent. Of genuine feeling, feelings that were completely mutual.

Ed had quickly forgotten everything he had believed about love and lovers. Either way, Roy was different and being with him wouldn't be like it was in love songs. For one, his senses had been in no way warped or inhibited; instead it felt as though he was tasting and touching for the first time, for nothing else had ever been so real as when he kissed Roy, when he was kissed by Roy.

"It doesn't bother you?" The older man pressed. His hand glided through Ed's hair, each finger twisting itself firmly around blond strands.

"No." Edward replied, sighing as Roy's palm ghosted over the back of his neck and across his shoulder blades.

"I'll be honest, it does worry me somewhat. You're only—"

"Seventeen, idiot." The blond interrupted, turning onto his back to look straight up at his companion. Roy gazed down at him, his hand still for a time. Then he smiled slightly.

"Indeed you are." His fingers resumed their caresses. One hand parted the fabric of Ed's shirt (which had been feverishly unbuttoned mere minutes before) and slid teasingly down the center of his chest, stopping at the naval.

"At this point, it's not about age or even gender, I suppose. We're both adults now, such specifications are usually shed when one matures." Ed continued, trying to ignore the fact that his skin was starting to burn again as Roy touched him.

"Does that mean you'd want me even if I was some eighty-year-old creep?" The former general asked, grinning as Ed bit his lip to keep from gasping under his ministrations.

"If you were a creep? No. If you were eighty? No." The blond managed, shutting his eyes for fear that they would betray his lust.

"Well, I've been described as both "old" and "creepy" before, why should I bother?" He grinned, his hand traced Ed's lips slowly before drawing back. Fullmetal frowned.

"You're not _that_ old. And you're not creepy." He protested, reaching up to move his fingers over the brunette's jaw.

"I'm an older man pursuing a relationship with a minor. That's called, creepy, Edward."

"I'm not a minor!" Ed tugged gently on a particularly long black lock. "Just how old are you anyway?"

"You were a eleven when you attempted to transmute your mother." Roy winced when his hair was nearly yanked out by Ed's constricting fist. "When I visited Pinako's house that night, I was in my early twenties." He caught Ed's hand in his.

"I'm sorry." Edward said sheepishly.

"It's okay." Roy's hand was warm and fully enveloped his own.

"That was six years ago. So you're in your late twenties?"

"Practically." The brunette replied cryptically. Ed smiled and sat up, looping his arms around Roy's neck as he slid into his lap.

"That doesn't bother me." He murmured. Roy kissed his forehead.

"So I see." Came the husky reply.

--

As they walked back to the house in the afternoon, the guilt weighing down on Roy Mustang began to lift somewhat. He thought back on the day that he'd first officially met Ed and his brother, he had been twelve then. Of course, Roy had harbored no feelings for the boy at that point.

Through the years, they met sporadically. Each time, Ed was noticeably older. Roy knew Ed in stages, in childhood, the levels of growing maturity, and finally manhood. It was the contrast, perhaps, the exhibit that was Edward Elric's growth and development on display that intrigued the Flame Alchemist so.

Intrigue, built on respect, built on years of familiarity and a certain closeness was the perfect place to nurture a spark of interest, a spark that grew into a flame, and a flame that burst into a wild and sudden forest fire. Roy smiled at the analogy.

Forest fires, as it happened, were dangerous and completely and uncontrollable. He smiled. If that was what their relationship would be, then the brunette was eager to continue.

Fire, after all, was something that he knew intimately.

Minutes later, the older alchemist was leaning against a kitchen counter, trying in vain to read over Ed's shoulder.

"She didn't…" Fullmetal breathed, rereading the note. Roy could make out Winry's loopy signature at the bottom, a heart dotting the I.

"What is it?" Ed crumpled the letter as he turned to face his companion.

"I have you all to myself, Roy." He purred. The brunette gasped.

"How long are they gone for?"

"Three days, maybe four." If either had wanted to reach out and touch the sexual tension hovering in the air, it might not have been so impossible.

Despite this, the two alchemists let the rest of the day flow by innocently enough. They took turns showering, Roy read for a few hours, Ed took care of work around the house, and they joined forces to make an attempt at dinner.

Later in the evening, the teen found himself standing outside of Roy's room. The brunette had excused himself only a few minutes before.

Ed sighed, visually tracing the age rings in the wood.

He could knock, or walk away.

He could stay up until dawn, or sleep.

He could lose his virginity, or maybe cherish it for another night. The blond shook his head, trying with difficulty to evaluate the signals coming from his mind and his body, attempting to reconcile both.

One told him that he was ready. He could still feel the brunette's lips on his, he shivered. He wanted to feel that again, to feel what he thought of as 'intense' being brought to whole new levels. He wanted his idea of pleasure to be obliterated by true experience, and yet…

Something told him to wait. This was crazy. Roy was right, he was seventeen, in some ways still a minor. But what had age to do with it? He wanted it, of that he was sure. And Ed was legally old enough to make his own decisions.

Another voice protested that sex wasn't an ideal way to jump-start a new relationship. Or was it? He and Roy were hardly strangers, after all. Granted, the attraction between them was fresh and new, but the familiarity was there.

He was comfortable around Roy, just as he had been for years. He may not have known Roy as a lover, but he knew him as a kind of friend, and that was said to be the strongest foundation for a relationship.

Eventually, Ed's body switched sides in the great debate, bringing down the veil of fatigue that reminded him of how late it was. There was time, after all. Maybe this could be his last night of hesitation, his last night alone. He smiled at the thought.

Roy heard the teen walk away from his door.

"Goodnight, Edward." He whispered. "Next time, I'll leave it open for you." He could wait, he could be rational, but if Ed knew just how much the brunette ached for him, even he would have called it creepy—unless of course the feeling was mutual.

Roy lay down with a sigh, letting his eyes slide shut. Maybe tomorrow night, he wouldn't wait for Fullmetal to come to him.

TBC

-Thunder


	4. Part IV

Through Metamorphosis

RWThunder

Chapter IV

"We make a good team." Edward commented as they surveyed the results of their cooking. The Flame Alchemist scrutinized the fruits of their combined efforts and finally nodded his approval.

"It sort of makes you sad to eat it." He replied. The blonde took a seat.

"Not really." He began on the toast, taking a moment to spread jam. Roy followed suit, taking the chair across from Edward and serving himself some omelet.

"This is really good." The brunette noted after a moment's thoughtful chewing. Edward looked up from his orange juice and smiled.

"The labor makes it taste better." He replied.

"Either that, or we're both far too familiar with military meals." They shared a knowing grin, basking in the memories of Central and it's dreaded cafeteria.

The last few minutes of their early breakfast passed without interruption.

Roy had carried the dishes over to the sink and now turned to face Edward's back. The blonde remained at the table, leisurely finishing his juice. He pondered for a moment before walking quietly over to his fellow alchemist.

Edward started when two arms came down around him, hands that he was accustomed to seeing gloved linking over his stomach. Roy's nose brushed against his cheek and a soft sigh fleetingly warmed his skin.

"Hey, come help me out." Then the warmth and closeness was gone. Roy stood and made his way back to the waiting dishes. Recovering himself, Edward abandoned his drink and approached the brunette.

"You wash, I'll dry." The former general stated, taking up a dishrag.

"Switch it, Mustang." Roy smirked and tossed him the cloth.

"As you wish. Pay me back later." The words were playful and in no way suggestive. All the same, Edward didn't meet his companion's eyes once as they worked. Roy was even surprised to see a faint, insistent blush that the blonde tried desperately to hide with his curtain of golden hair.

Afternoon found the two alchemists separated. Edward lingered in the kitchen, taking it upon himself to maintain the immaculate state in which it had been left. He did this party to appease Winry, partly to isolate himself. After breakfast, Fullmetal doubted if his hormones could take being around Roy a second longer.

He thought back to when the brunette had excused himself, retreating into his room to read. Edward had watched him go, grateful for the time he now had to collect himself even as his body screamed for attention. Even without trying, it seemed Roy's presence was a horrible tease.

The blonde grimaced, examining the cleanliness of the window panes for the third time. There was nothing else to do. Golden eyes flicked from the pristine floor tiles to the shining surface of the table, searching desperately for another distraction.

Inside, the great conflict raged. He wanted so much to be near Roy again. Closeness, the warmth of his body and the comfort of that familiar scent. Beyond that, the alchemist was woefully undecided.

After failing to brainstorm a way that he could clean the ceiling, the blonde finally conceded.

Not surprisingly, the path of his defeat lead Edward directly to the closed door of Roy's room. Again he stopped, hands hiding in his pockets to avoid the temptation presented by the door handle. The young alchemist chewed his lower lip anxiously.

To his relief, that spark of courage that made him Edward empowered his right hand and had him opening the door without another moment's hesitation.

Roy was lying on his back amid the rumpled sheets, an arm over his eyes and a book lying open on his stomach. The blonde held his breath, right hand still gripping the door handle.

"Hey…"

The brunette shifted and Edward could make out a pair of dark eyes, just visible from beneath his forearm. They softened immediately in recognition.

The Fullmetal Alchemist had always been familiar with those eyes, even when everything else about Roy had seemed strange and confusing. He knew from years of experience that Roy's eyes could cut steel; yet now when they met his own, they were gentle and full of affection that the Flame Alchemist had yet to express fully. Black velvet over quartz.

"Good afternoon, Edward." The brunette assumed a more refined pose on the edge of his bed, offering his disarming half-smile along with the greeting.

The older Elric blinked, marveling at how he'd managed to occupy himself in the kitchen for so long. Not to mention how long Roy had reading. Perhaps they were both apprehensive, hesitant, and maybe a little bit shy in the face of being alone together.

There was pressure. It had been building since the day before, pushing Edward, doubts and all, into Roy's room.

"Do you plan on reading all day?" Fullmetal teased, pausing to take note of the book's title, which implied a certain amount of alchemical content.

"And do you mean to propose an alternate activity?" The brunette smiled again, this time raising a glossy eyebrow in question. Edward answered with a grin of his own.

This, he could respond to. Here, he was confident. A little flirting wasn't smoothing to sweat over. However, once things progressed, the blond knew all too well that he would be at a great disadvantage. Yet already, his body was commanding him, moving him forward until he stood in front of the Flame Alchemist, who watched him expectantly.

"Maybe." He pushed Roy back onto the mattress, mindful of the strength he used and of his own balance. The brunette followed along, guiding their descent with his elbows as the two of them sank down atop the blankets.

Edward let his muscles relax as the bed gave way beneath them, taking a moment to inhale the scent of midnight hair.

Presently, a hand came up and gently pulled at his hair tie, which had been put in sometime during Ed's cleaning frenzy. In a rush, golden waves of satin cascaded down Edward's shoulders and slipped over his ears to tickle the skin of Flame's neck.

The hand continued its journey downward, sliding over shoulder blades, tracing the spine, and finally urging fingertips beneath the hem of Ed's shirt. The skin there was soon languidly explored. Pressure, the pinch of a nail, gentle kneading, and a slight tickle all made a profound impression on Edward's composure.

On cue, the blond lifted his head from Roy's shoulder and gazed down at him, content to let the former general's hand do the talking. The brunette watched, fascinated, as Edward's eye's slid shut, the power of his wandering fingers already taking effect.

"Edward?" He asked gently. A twinkle of gold from above told him that he had been acknowledged. "May I kiss you?" This time, those golden orbs opened completely. Again, the brunette observed the potency of his technique as Ed's mouth opened in a small moan.

"Yes." He met Fullmetal halfway, catching his lips soundly and leaning back again, not breaking contact. Finding them idle, Roy wrapped his arms around Edward's neck, guiding him slowly deeper into the kiss.

A pause for breath.

This time, Flame didn't wait for permission before surging upwards, hands clenching in blond locks, and seeking out Edward's taste with tongue, teeth, and lips. It was a moment of weakness, of indulgence, initiated almost violently in an effort to suppress the guilt bubbling up in Roy's stomach.

Ed's small whimpers and breathy gasps did nothing to ease the brunette's mind or body, both of these parties presently being caught in an ugly disagreement.

Lust was a natural thing, a powerful chemical reaction that affected both mind and body alike. Desire, it's preferred cousin, was of a similar nature. Neither were anything to be ashamed of. After all, who can wield the powers of true chemical attraction? This tension, this pull between two people was stronger and more profound than any alchemical achievement.

Still, the former soldier could not own both Edward and his desire for the blond. With Fullmetal alone, he longed for the reaction between their bodies, the static that crackled when skin met skin. But when he embraced this want, embracing Edward himself, Roy found himself unable to follow through, the image of Edward as an eleven-year-old boy flashing in his mind.

As if sensing his thoughts, Ed took on a more aggressive roll in their kiss, parting Roy's lips with his tongue like a pro and willing those thoughts away with every brush and swirl of the wet organ.

This was a different Edward, an older Edward.

Again Flame pictured each stage of the boy's metamorphosis in his mind, stopping at the most recent and finding it to be the very boy he had in his arms, kissing him with the purpose and drive of an adult. An adult, like Roy, equals. Equals.

The blond let his head drop down beside his companion's neck, breathing deeply and enjoying the lingering tingle from their kiss as it spread throughout his body and slowly faded.

It was interesting for Ed to compare this latest experience to the session he had shared with Roy the morning before before; Similar, hot, close, and desperate. Undertones of curiosity, subtle shyness, not-so-subtle need bordering on a fierce hunger. Even so, he felt as though they had gone so much farther.

"I…wow." Fullmetal breathed. Roy leaned back on his arms and slowly sat up, one hand coming up to hold his companion in his lap, keeping him from sliding off, keeping him close. Ed wriggled, innocently hooking a leg around Roy's hips for support while inadvertently yanking them closer. A second hand came around to keep him secure just as warm lips ghosted over his forehead.

"Indeed." Roy waited patiently for his head to clear, regarding the leg now wrapped around his waist as a temptation to be avoided, a test of willpower. A few more moments of want and he was out of the woods, the red leaving his vision as the room reappeared and he became aware of other things besides the sound of Ed's breathing and the warmth of his body in his lap.

"And I thought yesterday was intense," The blond said nervously, obviously still a bit shaken. Roy rubbed his back soothingly.

"Hm."

"I really didn't expect…I thought we'd have to go further to…" The brunette had to keep from smirking, reminding himself that Ed was still, in many ways, innocent. A tactless part of him wanted to ask, _you thought that was intense?_ But he didn't need to, the blond would know soon enough.

"The first couple of times with someone can be overwhelming. Repetition allows you to feel more, to enjoy details you didn't notice before, a constant fine-tuning to perfection and the rise of a feeling I'll call _familiarity_." Roy's hand moved through Edward's hair, pausing to stroke his thumb over the shell of his ear.

"Do you feel more familiar now? More comfortable, perhaps?" The nagging tease of Ed's body so close to his didn't seem to want to leave him alone. He busied himself by turning the gentle scratching of his fingers over the blond's scalp into a full massage.

"I was comfortable before. Now I feel…"

"Confident."

"Exactly." Edward laughed softly, leaning forward to brush his nose against Roy's cheek.

"Do you suppose we should start on dinner?" The brunette waited for the warm feeling caused by Ed's spontaneous affection to fade before asking. Golden eyes pulled him in.

"Sure." He released his hold on the blond regretfully, a cold loneliness taking his place. As he started for the door, however, an a fast hand skillfully caught his own.

"Um…thank you." The voice was uncertain, but sincere. Roy could have done a lot of things, could have chuckled, grinned in response, or even said _you're welcome_. Instead, he leaned down and brought the warm skin to his lips, pressing a kiss to the smooth surface before pulling back.

The walk to the kitchen was silent, yet the air hung thick with satisfaction, gratitude, and the sun began its slow descent over the hills, bringing with it a spark of anticipation, of promise in the coming darkness.

TBC

-Thunder


	5. Part V

Through Metamorphosis

By RWThunder

Part V

Although he had never dared to dream of anything of the kind in his life, Edward found himself drowning in the sensation of Roy's lips on his hand, wishing he could feel those damp, burning caresses on every part of his body.

His hand…he just had to pick his right one, hadn't he?

A few months before, that kiss would have died upon the shield of cold metal belonging to his automail. And while the euphoric emotions triggered by Roy's unexpected tenderness would still have registered, Ed would not have been able to describe what that warm mouth felt like.

And, gentlemanly as the action was, nothing had ever felt so intimate to the blond in all his life.

Things were moving quickly. Ed had been quick to remind everyone that he was no longer a child, but this adult world was still very new to him. Even as an early adolescent, he had never had the chance to sample the forbidden fruits of sexual pleasure. He had his brother to mind, a body reclaim, a war to stop.

Now, he had Roy. Or rather, Roy had him. That last kiss had sealed the deal. Ed now understood his current position clearly; He had the eagerness and passion, but Roy had skill and something more than plain experience, he had a natural talent, a way of knowing, a way of coaxing and comforting and guiding Edward into situations he didn't even know existed.

Ed was not ready to be in charge, far from it. This was Roy's field and, as he had already exhibited, he was more than happy to be Fullmetal's guide in a world of sensation, heat, and desire. The blond's job was to say 'yes,' 'no,' 'slower,' 'faster.' And in this way, two would become one.

Being a perceptive youth, Edward had long since observed how lovers of unbalanced ability gradually became equals, came to share dominance in a relationship. One learning from the other until, one day, they both were able to teach and guide each other.

More than anything else, Ed realized that he wanted to be able to share that kind of intimacy and companionship with Roy. Someday, he would make the brunette shiver from his kisses and ache for his touch, the both of them would be equally entranced with each other, obsessed, infatuated, until the fire died down. If they survived that burning heat together, if they held strong, something much more powerful than lust would be born from their passion.

Ed didn't understand love beyond what he felt for his brother, or what he had felt for his mother. However, he could guess that if he and Roy carefully built their relationship, then he would quickly become familiar with the love that was whispered about in all tongues around the world, the love behind infatuation and simple lust.

But to Edward, who still clutched at his virginity, that goal seemed a very long way away. He glanced up at Roy, slowly tracing the brunette's profile with hungry eyes. He felt his heart speed up.

Maybe the completion he sought was not as far off as he thought.

--

Roy glowered at the simmering pot, giving the contents inside a thoughtful prod with the wooden spoon. Beside him, Ed hovered anxiously, standing by with a plethora of sliced vegetables upon a damp cutting board, grimly awaiting their smoldering fate.

"Alright, a bit more." The brunette stood aside as the blond guided a few handfuls of the ingredients into the boiling abyss, preparing for Roy's next command.

"Ah—there you go." He tapped Fullmetal's hand gently to stop him, taking up the spoon once more and returning to his stirring. Ed reluctantly moved away with the cutting board, mourning the loss of contact in contrast with the jubilance of the vegetables remaining.

"This will do fine." Roy gave a curt nod. Immediately, they both went about restoring order in the kitchen, each tackling a different task. In five minutes or so, the table was set, the cutting board washed, and the flame in the stove brought down to a low simmer.

Edward slowly worked his cloth over the handle of a knife, removing the stickiness of the juice and sliding the lingering seeds off of the blade. When the metal gleamed to his liking, Ed discarded the damp fabric and ran his finger over the width of the blade, lifting off over the tip.

When he brought his hand up, the blond was surprised to see a trickle of blood welling out of his fingertip, embracing the skin there in an eerie warmth. It was his right hand, the hand that had been invincible, composed of the same steel-like essence that now bit at his flesh. Watching the ruby flow continue its journey down his hand, Ed felt strangely vulnerable.

Suddenly, he snatched up the dishrag and quickly scrubbed away at the wound, rubbing the red heat out of his skin. He then squeezed the cloth around the small wound, absorbing the dull ache it emitted as punishment for his carelessness.

"Edward, are you done over there?' Fullmetal forgot all about his small dilemma the moment he turned around and saw Roy seated on the floor, his head leaned back on a table leg, pale neck arched. Ed swallowed.

"Yeah…" He sat beside the former general, hunched forward without any sort of support for his back.

Ed's contemplation of their job well done was interrupted as Roy's slender fingers tickled his spine, causing him to stiffen in surprise. Beside him, he heard the brunette exhale heavily. Again, his hair was unbound and the blond strands fell freely over his back.

"You've really got to keep it down, Edward." Roy commented, almost succeeding in hiding the lustful strain in his voice. Ed shrugged.

"It's a bother, really," He replied, already second-guessing his opinion of it as Roy tugged gently and wove his hand through the golden waves.

"It's an asset, something you should be proud of. You take much better care of it now, I've noticed that." Finally his fingers moved to the base of Edward's neck, applying light pressure there. Instantly the blond reacted, leaning back into the touch.

Roy circled his fingers in the groove of the back of Ed's neck, eliciting a soft moan from his golden-eyed companion.

"Come here," The brunette said hoarsely, pulling unceremoniously on a handful of blond hair. Licking his lips, Ed turned and crawled into Roy's lap, letting the former general guide him into a comfortable position.

For a moment, Fullmetal simply sunk into Roy's hold, flesh burning flesh through their clothes. The gentle rubbing on his neck continued, sliding up to the base of his skull and pressing soothingly.

Bright eyes darted to his companion's face, his hair, his mouth. Taking a deep breath, Ed reached and fisted a hand in Roy's charcoal strands, relishing the satiny feel on his recently obtained right hand. Unconsciously, he gave a light tug.

Dark eyes narrowed and the rubbing ceased. Edward resisted the urge to groan in disappointment.

"What do you want, Edward?" The blond blinked back at him in confusion. He licked his lips again in nervousness.

"I…"

"You don't need to ask my permission." Somehow, Roy had brought their faces closer together. Ed frowned and for a moment, they sat still and said nothing. Then Fullmetal did something he never thought he'd be brave enough to do; Tugging once more on Flame's hair, he leaned forward and kissed the older man soundly, bring his legs over to lock around Roy's waist.

This time, it was the brunette who opened his mouth in acceptance, encouraging Ed even as his hands moved to the blond's shoulders, steadying him and keeping him close.

Edward stole breaths in between the furious bouts of contact between their lips, his left hand grabbing a handful of Roy's shirt and twisting the fabric into absolute distortion, the other still clenched in Flame's hair.

The sun set behind the hills, filling the kitchen with a soft glow and extending the conjoined shadows of the two alchemists.

Roy slid his hand down Ed's spine, digging his nails into the small of his back. Fullmetal groaned and wrenched at the weak cloth of the brunette's shirt, nearly tearing it. Continuing, nimble fingers snuck beneath the hem of Edward's shirt, teasing the soft skin there before moving up over the waistband of his pants.

As the Flame Alchemist ghosted his palm over the curve of Ed's behind, the blond suddenly became aware of an insistent stirring between his legs, a feeling that was not unknown, but hardly familiar. He gasped into Roy's mouth when that offending hand gripped him firmly, and he tugged a little harder on those dark strands than was intended.

In one swift movement, the hand abandoned its former mission and snatched Ed's own, pulling it free of that midnight sea. Sharp eyes took in the torn strip of cloth wrapped discreetly around the blond's index finger.

"You're hurt." Roy's voice was breathless, but still heavy with shock and concern. Edward looked from the brunette to his injured digit and back again, the incident with the knife coming back to him through the haze of arousal. He gulped.

Ed's hand jerked in Roy's, the finger under scrutiny twitching slightly.

"It's just a cut, I'd forgotten about it." He avoided Flame's eyes, focusing instead on his own rushed heartbeat and the answering pound coming from Roy's chest.

Slowly, the brunette relaxed his grip, bringing his other hand around to stroke the flesh bearing the wound. The fabric was gently pulled from around Ed's finger and floated to the floor beside them, a small faded stain decorating the opposite side.

Roy examined the small puncture and the corner of his mouth rose subtly.

"It's small, and it looks like it didn't bleed much." Those dark eyes softened and the blond relaxed in his lap.

"Yeah, it's nothing really."

"Hm." Ed wondered if they could go back to kissing again. Unfortunately for him, his companion had become somewhat contemplative and was silent for a time.

"You're not accustomed to revealing your pain to others." He stated, rubbing his thumb over the small cut with care. "It's not a lack of trust, it's the fact that you're very self-absorbed and independent. I understand that." He placed a small kiss to the wound that sent a shiver up Ed's spine.

"But, Edward," The former general's voice had become strangely soft and quiet. "I want to be someone that you can share your pain with. I want to know when you hurt and why. I want to help." Ed drew in breath sharply when Roy brought his finger to his lips, through them, and sucked gently.

"Oh…fuck…" There was that stirring again. The brunette smirked at him around the digit, eyes dancing with playfulness.

"I'm serious you know." He bit down lightly and Edward arched in his lap, inadvertently rocking their hips together. It was Roy's turn to gasp. He let Edward's finger fall from his lips and gripped the boy's hips with both hands, pulling him forward against him. The blond let his head fall forward onto his companion's shoulder.

"Fucking hell…" He breathed, pressing eagerly against Roy's waist. The Fullmetal Alchemist heard the brunette chuckle.

"I haven't heard you curse in a long time." He whispered hotly, moving his hands down past his back to grip him almost painfully.

"I thought I'd gotten out of the habit years ago. Sometimes I just slip back into it, I guess…" Another gasp.

"You lose control." Roy stated simply. He laved his tongue over Ed's ear. "I like it." Ed's fingers shook as they moved over Flame's collarbone and tore at the front of his shirt, dislodging several buttons.

The blond was rewarded with a soft moan from his companion when he trailed his fingers down the front of his bare chest, the movement innocent and experimental. Much to Roy's surprise, the hand didn't stop and he felt shaky fingers trace the tightness in his pants. Reason hit him with a resounding smack.

"No…not here." He gently guided Fullmetal's hands away. Ed blinked up at him, a question forming on those bruised lips. Roy worked hard to restrain himself.

"Later, not yet." He glanced over the blond's shoulder at the pot on the stove. "First, we have dinner."

It felt a crime to let food touch his lips when he could have been kissing Roy instead. Despite this, Edward allowed himself to be lifted gently from the brunette's lap, handed a plate, and placed on a chair at the table.

Dimly, Ed wondered if Roy was human or a sex god in mortal form. Throughout their meal, he fought the urge to ask, at the same time, damning the chair beneath him for differentiating itself so strongly from the warmth and intimacy of the brunette's lap.

--

All of a sudden, Ed found himself being tossed onto the welcoming blankets of Roy's bed. He'd never felt so hot and bothered in his life, although the frustration was quite nostalgic.

Roy Mustang made short work of their shirts, making even that seem sensual and teasing as the tips of his fingers tickled the blond's skin.

Ed moved his right arm behind him almost instinctively, blushing slightly when Flame chuckled and brought it forward, showering the treasured flesh in hot kisses.

The oldest Elric scooted back to give his partner more room, lying back and parting his legs for him without complaint, readily accepting the fiery lips upon his own and opening his mouth for Roy's unique taste.

His mind registered the brush of the Flame Alchemist's fingers over his bare chest, paying special attention to the newly acquired arm and the juncture between his shoulder and the limb where old scars still lingered.

Ed responded mindlessly with the shifting of his body beneath Roy, with his encouraging gasps and low moans that fed hunger into the brunette's needy touch. He was distantly aware of the former general tugging his pants down to his ankles, the blond's hands diving into the bedding when a warm tongue dragged over the tent in his boxers.

A soft cry.

Roy rid his companion of his last stitch of clothing and wasted no time. Within the next three minutes, The Flame Alchemist performed the most sinful and amazing things with his tongue, driving Ed into a crazed state of lust he had never thought existed. Then again, he'd never known that Roy Mustang could suppress his gag reflex, either.

Ed came with a scream that told his companion 'thank you' and 'you're amazing' and 'that was really good.' The Fullmetal Alchemist was left breathless, dead to the world, and with the knowledge that he wouldn't be able to speak correctly for at least a few minutes.

A cloud of euphoria enveloped his senses and a strange fatigue, a kind of sleepy satisfaction, sunk into his body. As the mattress materialized beneath him once more, Edward became aware of a nagging feeling in his mind.

There was more to come yet. He wasn't sure that he was up to returning the favor, but he knew there was something else Roy wanted from him, something he had the choice to give and thought he'd throw away the instant they finished dinner.

Roy loomed over him, still doting upon the soft skin of his inner thighs and lower abdomen. Warmth pooled in Ed's groin and he wriggled under the other man's ministrations, biting his lip.

So fast…

The brunette engaged him in a hungry kiss that was almost too much for Ed to handle. Again his lips were abandoned and Roy moved slowly over his neck and collarbone. Eventually, Ed's time would run out. The moment would come.

Edward became strangely numb to Roy's touch as the Flame Alchemist worked his way over the sensitive areas of his chest. He felt his body reacting all the same, but a growing discomfort that refused to be quelled had his mind otherwise occupied.

All too soon, Roy came to his half-hard manhood but surprised him by going lower, sucking fervently on his fingers and sliding one over his thigh until he came to Ed's entrance.

A sharp gasp.

Without thinking, Edward's hand shot forward and seized the brunette's wrist. For a moment, he just stared at the slick fingers, positioned so close to something he had only just realized he wasn't ready to expose. Too fast.

"Oh shit," he breathed, realizing what he had done. Despite his sincere efforts, Ed couldn't seem to detach his fingers from Roy's wrist. He shook his head in exasperation, his other hand shifting nervously and dancing over the rumpled sheets.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

"It's okay, Edward," A comforting voice said. The blond sat up indignantly as Flame began to slowly move his hand away.

"Hey, it's alright, I'm…"

"I said it's okay, Edward." Roy was moving away from his parted legs, patting the hand the clutched his wrist with the one that remained free.

"Roy, I didn't mean to, we can still…" Those eyes silenced him.

"Listen to me, Ed, we don't have to do this now." An angry flush blossomed in the blond's face and he tried in vain to tug his hand free. Roy held him fast.

"I said it's fine! I want this, I've waited for this…!" The brunette was shaking his head, making golden eyes go wide with rage and embarrassment.

"I…I…" The blanket ripped in his hand. "I just…!" Suddenly, Edward felt warm arms wrap themselves around him, holding him close as a hand stroked his hair. Roy's breath was hot on his ear and almost shaky.

"Hush…" He murmured.

"Roy, please…" Ed's voice cracked. In all of five seconds, he resigned himself to his plight and let his head fall against Roy's shoulder. "Oh no…" The hand stroking his hair redoubled its efforts, its companion rubbing small circles into Fullmetal's back.

"I'm sorry, Edward," that voice, coupled with the sensation of being held and comforted made a sob rise in the blond's throat. "Don't worry, it's okay."

"No! It's not…I just…I can't do this right now." Ed voice rose with renewed frustration.

"I know." It wasn't good enough. Ed reached up and tugged hard on midnight strands.

"Roy, please!" The kiss was hot and demanding and it was just what Fullmetal needed to feel better about the situation, to feel forgiven, then wanted. Still wanted.

Slowly, Roy let himself fall back onto the mattress, pulling Ed with him. The blond moved automatically so that he was laid out half on and half off of his partner, one knee resting on Roy's legs while he leaned his head on the brunette's shoulder. An arm snaked itself around his waist and held him.

"Go to sleep, Edward." Flame coaxed, kissing his forehead.

"Roy, I'm sorry…" His trembling returned in the dark.

"It's okay," another kiss. "It's okay."

"…alright." Shame still burned in his cheeks but somehow the closeness of his partner reassured him. He snuggled closer, almost hesitant to do so, feeling undeserving of the intimacy. Roy's arm tensed in an answering squeeze.

"Sleep," he pressed. And gradually, Ed fell into a darkness beyond that of the room they now shared.

--

If Edward believed in anything, it was the healing powers of a good night's sleep. He woke earlier than usual, surprising himself with his own good cheer. Waking up in Roy's arms felt good, it felt like acceptance.

He amused himself by playing with the brunette's hair, his eyes entertained by the peaceful sight of his companion while asleep.

After a time, the blond grew restless and squirmed in Flame's arms, already charged and eager to start the new day. After a moment's pondering, he came to a firm decision.

Roy had not expected to wake up to anything but gloom and Ed's bashfulness. He certainly hadn't expected to be getting a surprisingly outstanding blow job, either. If he had thought that Ed knew nothing, he could say that the boy knew enough to swallow.

"Good morning." The blond smirked, glowing with pride. Roy struggled to find his voice.

"Good morning to you, too."

"Was that okay? Care to continue?" Ed crawled up to Roy over the blankets, still smiling. Said brunette reeled in confusion.

"Ed, we don't have to—that was amazing—last night you weren't, I don't think we should—where'd you learn to do that?" Unable to rely on his words, Roy brushed his hand over the blond's cheek, returning his smile.

"I'm a fast learner." He kissed Roy and was positive he'd never done a better job of it.

"I can see that. But, Edward, I don't think we should…" He was silenced with another kiss.

"I'm ready. If you don't believe me, let me prove it to you, fair?" Warm hands massaged their way down the brunette's chest. Unable to stop himself, Roy let his head fall back against the pillows, enjoying the sensations.

"Fair."

TBC

-Thunder

MazokuOnna: I'm sorry to report that this chapter was another tease. But don't worry, as you can probably tell, you'll have your satisfaction in the upcoming installment.

Michelle: Honestly, neither can I.

Metranome: Thank you, you sure know how to make an authoress feel good!

TrulyWished: If you're a pervert, than I am no different. This next lemon is for you.

Nodjmet: I am a lousy updater. I made up for it tonight, though—or should I say, this morning? Thanks for your detailed comments, I love to hear specifically what people liked about my story. Tells me what I have to maintain, neh?


	6. Part VI

Through Metamorphosis

RWThunder

Part VI

"Edward, are you positive this is alright?" No answer to this, but the blond showed little sign of hesitance in his actions as he bravely explored the bare expanse of pale skin. Of course he wasn't positive, of course he couldn't be sure that he was ready, but he wanted it. Roy knew how he felt. His only option was to be as gentle and careful as he could, ever on the look-out for signs of fear or discomfort. He had to be a model for Ed, a teacher, a lover.

The Fullmetal Alchemist was obviously unclear about where exactly he was meant to focus his attention. He had no idea what other people generally found stimulating, what Roy would find stimulating. And because of the state of his nerves, the excitement, the worry, and the anticipation of it all, he couldn't even so much as think to imagine what he himself would call pleasurable. A good way to start figuring out what someone else liked was to try out the things you already knew felt good for you, but Ed didn't know this.

All the same, perhaps merely for the novelty, Roy was enjoying himself. After all, this experience wasn't about perfection, far from it. And although Roy could have recalled other times when the touches had been more confident and arousing, he knew better than to compare those times with now, those people with Ed. Besides, having someone touch him, being only who they were, had never been so exhilarating for the former general.

Maybe it was because Ed was so concentrated, or because his silky hair brushed over Roy's skin with every unsure movement of his tongue or fingers, or perhaps because Fullmetal had never does this before—to anyone. That fact alone was satisfying enough to have Roy feeling very good about his present situation.

There was an instinct, a nagging feeling that told the brunette to touch back, to not play dead and reciprocate, but it was repressed. After the night before, Roy now understood how important it was not to dominate Ed. Ed, who was himself very dominant by nature and was certainly not accustomed to being intimate with anyone, let alone submissively.

This was the blond's time to lead, to try his hand at things, and it was Roy's task to let him. Currently, the brunette was enjoying his job very much, different as it was from his usual role in the game of intimacy. Edward, on the other hand, had developed the nervous habit of looking hastily up at Roy, in question, each time he switched gears to try something new.

The Flame Alchemist learned that at such times, a simple nod or smile was enough to encourage him. Still, he was realizing that there was a fine line between being submissive and being unresponsive. This was, after all, still a two-person game. Thus, he paid Ed back for his efforts in what small ways he could without interrupting; the scrape of a nail over a flushed cheek, the brush of fingers through layers of golden hair, the gentle movement of a thumb tracing the curve of an ear.

Ed had nearly exhausted all of his ideas as he lay between Roy's legs, unconsciously licking alchemical symbols into the inside of his companion's thigh. He was hard again, they both were, though not quite to the point of driving necessity. The lingering taste of salt in the blond's mouth ruled out the option of repeating his stunt from earlier. That, and a strange bite of embarrassment at the thought of performing such a task, start to finish, while the brunette was awake and alert.

Roy had yet to be critical of him, or even to seem ungracious, but Edward was not prepared to do anything that might merit any sort of disapproval. Thus, he now avoided what he thought of as conventional forms of pleasure, instead inventing his own unique tricks, half out of desperation, as he worked his way back up to Roy's neck. There, he hid his face against the pillow above the brunette's shoulder, his hands still working mindlessly over Flame's chest.

Half by mistake, his fingertips brushed over a nipple, which he returned to when a soft sound floated from Roy's lips for the first time since Ed had began. He had only just started to investigate this exciting new weakness when he felt the brunette tug impatiently on his hair. He lifted his head in response, and was immediately tugged forward into a near-violent kiss which ended only when Ed had the audacity to grind their hips together, drawing a rough gasp from both parties and ending the duel of tongues.

Whether to restrain Roy or himself, or both, Ed placed his hands on the brunette's shoulders and held himself above, just hovering over his companion, frustratingly out of reach.

The level of excitement, of heart rate, and of arousal was quite akin to their previous encounter the night before; this observation lead Edward to replay a few select events from that time. Doing so brought to him a question. Unsatisfied with his own mental investigation, the blond ventured to pose this query to Roy instead.

Settling down upon his companion's lap, somewhat awkwardly due to their states of arousal, Ed summoned the use of his voice again.

"Roy, last night when I...when you…what were you trying to do?" Roy, who had been agonizing over broaching this topic himself now relaxed, making it his present task to help Edward do the same. Hands moved deftly over the blond's shoulders and down his spine, dancing upwards again to revisit that dip in the back of his neck, rubbing gently to recapture a more comfortable, secure feeling for his fellow alchemist.

"To prepare you." He let the simplicity of his reply sink in. "Without preparation, going further would be unappealing for both of us." Roy decided to interoperate Ed's blush as recognition and smiled disarmingly.

"And I don't mean just physically. I know you can handle a lot of pain, although I don't mean to test your tolerance or even engage it; I think it's much more important that you get your mind around it, that you adjust to the feeling. It's a new sensation that can be disconcerting and a little scary, but time and patience—on both our parts—will reduce if not obliterate that."

"Will you do it…now?" The brunette was caught by surprise and went so far as to gape, uncharacteristically, until Ed repeated himself. "Now, Roy? Just…to try?" Somehow the idea seemed ludicrous to Roy. After the other night, Ed's reaction, Roy's mistake…

"Ed, maybe we should try going a little slower, don't you think?"

"We just were." His near pout was almost enough to persuade the Flame Alchemist. Ed rolled over, somehow managing to lift Roy's weight for a moment, forcing the brunette to catch himself lest he topple forward onto the smaller, more delicate blond.

"Edward…we don't have to…" He kissed that delicious neck and tasted sweat, his excitement, gathering in the tension of the moment.

"Just do it. Right now I'm…please, just don't make me think about it, go, go…!" He spread his legs, but already he was too tense. Still, Roy understood. And besides, he could make this very good for Ed, of that he was confident. He slid a hand under his companion and down his spine to rest beneath the small of his back.

"Lift your hips." Ed did so, letting his head fall back onto the welcoming pillow and shutting his eyes. It was only then that Roy felt two clammy hands gripping his shoulders almost painfully. He removed them as carefully as he could, bringing both to his lips and showering them with coaxing kisses.

The hand still acting as a buffer between Ed's back and the mattress pressed upward reassuringly. Simultaneously, Roy released the boy's hands and brought his fingers to his mouth. Ever quick to react, the blond's hand shot out and grabbed Flame's wrist, golden eyes insistent.

"Let me." The brunette could only nod and watch as Ed drew his index finger into his mouth, past those warm lips, to be caressed by a shockingly sinful tongue that sent sparks shooting up Roy's arm. Then another finger, then another, an experimental suck of that warm mouth serving to drive the former general into an even higher state of frantic arousal.

"That's good, that's good…" Flame heard himself say, gently pulling his hand free not quite fast enough to escape a flick from Ed' s curious tongue. He brought his now slicked fingers down the blond's upper body, their progress intently followed by insistent, shining gold. Roy bit his lip.

"Look at me, Edward." Those eyes reluctantly met his, darting from their dark counterparts to the traveling hand and back again. "_Only_ at me." Now fully resigned, Ed stared numbly at Roy as the brunette lifted his fingers over his hip.

"Hurry."

"Lie back, Edward." _Leave it to me. _The ache between the Flame Alchemist's legs spiked as his quivering fingers reached their goal, pausing, then circling gently. Ed's face went white.

"It's alright…" His other hand rubbed the blond's back comfortingly. "Just relax."

"Why don't _you_ try it?" Somehow, despite the situation, that spark of retaliation was a comfort to Roy. It was a piece of genuine Ed, a significant step away from the frightened virgin at his mercy.

"I don't doubt that someday I will." The brunette replied in honesty. A single finger pushed forward to the first knuckle and Edward tensed.

"With me?" He was wincing, but there was a playful challenge in those eyes, in that shaky smirk.

"That's how I imagine it. I'd give himself to you." Roy smiled at the flattered look of surprise in his companion's face. He pushed further inward.

"How…noble" The hands were back on his shoulders, the right still refusing to participate as roughly in the squeezing taking place, the ghost of automail, Ed's concern that he would hurt Roy, subconscious or not.

"Relax…" He repeated.

"I _am_." Fullmetal took in a long, deep breath. "I'm not sure I'd wish this on you." He rasped out, fingers contracting, eyes squeezed shut.

"I don't know about that." He was confident. It wasn't rocket science. Roy searched in earnest, brows furrowed, gently stroking deeper, deeper…

"Oh fuck." Roy allowed himself a smirk of triumph.

"Stay relaxed, it gets better." _There we go. _A second finger joined the first, both curling in unison directly into that spot.

A small cry, a sound that communicated everything that needed to be said. Roy drank it in, repeating his actions, lowering his head to Edward's shoulder. Immediately, hands jumped into silky, black hair, tugging, kneading, and twisting in a silent language that only the brunette could understand.

Three fingers now, moving rapidly, surely, bending in unison, devoted to the cause of breaking the silence with Ed's sharp cries, his gasps of surprise, and those treasured moans of Roy's name.

He'd never breathed so hard in his life, nor been so enveloped in another's pleasure, a pleasure that he had control over, yet somehow shared in if only by understanding. The Flame Alchemist slid his free hand out from under his partner, delivering a few quick, well-timed strokes to that now peaked hardness.

Warmth covered his hand and he looked up at Ed in surprise.

The blond had somehow managed to push himself, pillow included, fully back against the headboard. From this position, neck arched back, the sun fell over his face in warm, glowing rays that made his hair shine. And if Roy had thought Ed looked better with his hair down before, he was discovering it again as he studied the chaotic yet beautiful array of those tangled, golden waves spread out over the pillow.

It was his face that sealed Roy's doom, so very not Ed, so different from the boy of three years ago in its unlawful strain of ecstasy. The open mouth, glassy eyes, and Roy's name lingering on those parted lips were the most valuable things in the world.

"Roy…" Sang a slightly louder echo. The brunette felt himself fall, slamming his hands down into the sheets quickly in recovery, sparing Ed his weight. It took him a moment to realize that he'd come.

--

"Aren't you going to eat?" Ed blew past him in a whirl of golden hair as he delivered his own dishes to the waiting sink. In honor of the occasion, he wore only his familiar leather pants, allowing Roy to enjoy the sight of the sweat still clinging to his upper body.

The brunette was slumped over in his chair, dressed casually in jeans and a button-up shirt that had only gotten halfway done. As he faced his toast, Roy marveled at the energy his companion had gathered so quickly after experiencing what had to be his first orgasm. Roy's body, having gone through a more mediocre (if frustrating) ordeal, was not so fast to recover.

"I suppose I should." He didn't touch the toast, dark eyes focusing instead on the upbeat movements of the blond. Edward turned towards him.

"Then eat." Seeing that Roy continued to ignore his ever-patient toast, Ed abandoned the dishrag he'd been holding. Hopping onto the large, wood table, Fullmetal settled himself across from Roy and his plate, crossing his legs.

"Eat." He insisted.

"Are you feeling alright?" The brunette asked, ignoring the matter at hand. Despite his mild frustration, Ed smiled.

"I feel great. Don't worry about me." He picked up the golden bread and took a bite. "See? No poison." He handed the toast to Roy. "Hurry up." Black eyes jumped to his.

"In a hurry are we?" Nonetheless, he began to eat. Ed tapped his fingers on the table impatiently.

"I want to get outside. We've been cooped up in here for too long." Roy stood, leaving his breakfast unfinished.

"I agree." He offered his hand to Edward, who grinned.

--

It was drawing close to noon when Ed finally grew weary of dragging Roy through the countryside. The brunette noticed that his companion had purposefully steered him away from the small graveyard, as well as the ruins of his old house. That was a matter for another time, the Flame Alchemist mused, another day when he was not so distracted by Ed's matured composure, by the memory of him losing that composure so beautifully.

The Rockbell house was now in sight.

"Let's sit down here." Roy stopped halfway down a low hill approaching their place of residence. Ed let himself be pulled down to sit on the grass, spreading his legs out in front of him and watching the sun continue to climb.

"Tired already?" He joked.

"I was losing you." Roy admitted. "I was losing the feel of you, the way I remember it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed started when two hands cupped his face and slowly turned him towards Roy, who leaned forward to press their foreheads together.

"Oh…" And Ed let himself be held and kissed because he too wanted to remember. When those hands smoothed over his shoulders, they touched a healed body that sang its gratitude ecstatically. He let Roy kiss him for so long and so aggressively because it made him forget to move his left shoulder forward, to banish his right hand to his side, to cringe when fingers brushed over his knee so close to a place of shadowed injury.

Then they both remembered to breathe.

Ed found himself lying on his back in the grass, hands locked behind Roy's neck. The brunette had gotten into the habit of letting his head fall onto Fullmetal's shoulder, turned slightly just so that he could inhale the scent of his hair.

A lot of things seemed distant then, war, death, the nightmarish past. In this moment of safety, the eye of the storm in their lives, Ed felt himself let go.

Roy started when a single finger traced his jaw, barely ghosting over his neck before other digits were employed to undue the buttons of his shirt.

"Ed, what are you doing?" He felt his body jolt once more when the other hand brushed boldly over the front of his jeans. The blond turned and licked the shell of Roy's ear with confidence.

"You want to do this now? Here?" The Flame Alchemist sat back, moving away from Ed's body to settle again on the grassy hill. Fullmetal shifted closer to him, one hand closing over Roy's.

"Yes, now. Yes, here." He moved into the brunette's lap, making his excitement known as he moved his hips against Roy's.

"We're outside." The former general retorted, Ed laughed.

"I know we are." A hand snuck out and trailed down Flame's bare stomach. "Come on, Roy…" Fingers made short work of the front button and zipper, diving between flesh and cloth to stroke boldly. "…what do I have to do?" For a time, his companion's sharp groans were the only answers he got. Then Roy stilled his hand.

"Not here."

"What?" Ed blinked as the brunette began running his palms over the grass beneath them.

"I said not here. Come on." He stood up, taking only a brief moment to adjust the front of his jeans before seizing Edward's hand.

"Where are we going?" Roy brought them to the bottom of the hill, to the place where the vast lawn belonging to the Rockbells became the small slope they had just descended, a small curve in the earth peppered with clover.

"This will do." His fellow alchemist crouched down beside the cluster of small plants, bringing the blond to sit beside him. "You see? That grass was too scratchy, this will be softer." Ed chuckled.

"Very thorough, colonel," He said with a smirk. Roy helped him around into the center of the clover patch, back facing the small hill.

"I believe it's brigadier general." The brunette wrapped an arm around Ed's waist, guiding him gently backward.

"More like, 'retired,' Mustang." Fullmetal retorted. He shivered when the cool grass tickled his bare back.

"That goes for you, too." Roy slid his arm out from under Ed and quickly discarded his shirt.

"I like to think of myself as more of a drop-out. But either way, it's a good thing we left. Situations like this can be called fraternization. I could have lost you your job."

"Yes, indeed you could have." They shared a smirk. Roy decided to end their conversation on that note, kissing Ed soundly and getting to work removing those teasing leather pants that had come to fit him so well.

--

Two fingers, three, just like before. Ed could only gasp, could only reach out blindly and cling to Roy in desperation, already begging him to reward his bravery. The ache from before was persistent, a dull bite that nagged and pestered his sweaty flesh, a spark of doubt in a sea of earth-shattering sensation.

He listened to Roy breathe, listened and heard his own pants echoing him, synchronized. They were close, exposed skin almost didn't feel naked for the heat, dampness, and pulse from the body so nearby.

The shocks of pleasure had him arching up and away from the cool ground, had him driving his hips forward against Roy's hand. Still, the pain remained, now a voice that spoke of regrets to come against the euphoric state of his awareness.

He was suddenly empty, cold, and fearful. He heard himself speak, he called for Roy, called him and dug his nails into his back, shaking, forgetting where they were, what the time was, everything.

Roy was saying something, lifting Ed's legs, leaning down to kiss him in a rushed, desperate way that the blond was unfamiliar with. The closeness was suffocating, beautiful, and the proximity made them realize that they were alive.

Ed would have screamed, but his voice was gone. It was nothing like being cut with a blade, like being punched in the stomach or getting automail attached, but it was an alarming and precise flavor of agony, and it wasn't physical alone.

He hadn't cried in ages. Not since he thought that his brother was gone for good, but it wasn't the same. They were not the tears of mourning.

Roy's voice caressed his mind with words that had no meaning, only sound, the soft texture of that voice that knew him and touched him so easily. A finger brushed over his damp cheeks and those dark eyes appeared above him, pained, beautiful. He began to pull away.

"Don't…" They clung to each other. Roy nodded slowly, kissing Ed's forehead. The tears stopped yet the feeling lingered, sinking down into his chest, receding as he felt, stretched, burned.

Ed didn't trust his voice when that fire erupted in his body, but there was no alternative. Dimly he hoped that Roy knew, that he saw that he had succeeded. The next thrust told Ed that his reaction had been noted. There was hardly room in his mind for Ed to be grateful. This movement, this acceleration of heartbeat, this heat, and pain, and sound, and Roy, Roy…Roy…

The brunette wrapped his arms around Ed's waist, pulling him forward into his lap, hands gripping his hips firmly. Even closer, somehow closer, more intimate than Ed ever thought humans could be. But he was sharing it, experiencing it, he had come to this place and he'd come there with Roy.

He moved with him now, pressed as close as he could, ignoring so many frantic signals conveying pain, pleasure, strain, to focus solely on the feeling of wholeness enveloping the rest of his senses, that strange and profound sense of belonging, a new sanctuary.

Roy had his eyes shut, head slightly lowered as he let Ed finish everything, let him continue on a crash coarse of over one hundred miles per hour that every drop of blood in his body followed with a will, racing to keep up, to last, and finally he was able let go as a hollow scream fought its way out from Ed's constricted throat.

--

Roy had barely been able to tug up his jeans before collapsing on the soft ground beside Edward, lying close, an arm draped over the blond's chest. He feel asleep in an instant.

The sun was high in the sky, midday, noon.

It took Ed awhile to come back into himself, to become a single entity with its own thoughts and cares outside of blind feeling alone.

He rolled over to lie against Roy's chest and cried silently. Because it had hurt, because it had been terrifying, and because it was over. Because he wanted it still, wanted Roy, and to know that he too was wanted. He buried his face in the brunette's neck.

In those minutes that spent awake, alone, Ed absorbed the loss of his virginity and the raw essence of it all. How strained and tense it had all been, yet how pleasurable and elating. He realized then that he was happy, a strange sense of completion numbing the rest of his overactive mind.

Breathing in Roy's scent, he let his last sob die in a choked shudder, welcoming the sting in his eyes as they dried. He burrowed closer to his companion.

"Thank you," He said. "Thank you so much, you were so gentle, thank you so much." And he too succumbed to sleep.

--

TBC

As to this lemon, know that I don't mean that it was in any way a bad experience. I just think that for someone who's as disconnected with himself as Edward, someone who can be so physically awkward and naïve, (not to mention the fact that he's 17 in this) losing his virginity would be…a big deal. Also, I don't believe that sex for the first time is ever perfect, painless, or in any way stress-free. I do believe that it can be a really amazing experience, however, and I hope I showed that it was for Ed and Roy. I encourage questions and comments!


	7. Part VII

Through Metamorphosis

RWThunder

Part VII

Ed floated from sleep to waking when a light breeze alerted his senses. Cold air washed over the bare skin of his chest before departing, leaving a shiver and a trail of goose bumps in its wake. The tail-end of the wind stirred his bangs, causing them to dance lightly over his cheek, tickling him, and he opened his eyes.

The Fullmetal Alchemist was mildly surprised to find himself huddled shirtless on the grass, staring at the elegant curve of Roy's neck. The sight of his companion brought forth bursts of memory, still fresh, into his mind. Now at a distance from the event, the thought of the things he had done and that had been done to him made Ed's mouth go dry.

Watching the brunette's chest rise and fall, Fullmetal attempted to piece together every moment of what had passed between them hours before. There were gaps, places where he knew only what one sense screamed to him, times where everything was fast and blurred, or when time seemed to slow and even stop. Blearily he wondered if it had been a dream; the place where he had been and the place where he now lay seemed so very different.

Then, when he moved to sit up, Ed knew for sure that everything he remembered had happened. Perhaps more than he remembered at that moment. Parts of his body that the blond had never had be sore now ached with every breath. He had to grit his teeth when getting up, a sharp pain in his lower back biting at every nerve in range.

Despite this, Edward felt more refreshed and relaxed than he had been in weeks, months, even. Coming to back to Resembool had calmed him, or so he had thought. Ed had found himself to be a bit preoccupied with earning the affections of a certain black-eyed Flame Alchemist.

But now their game was over. To Ed, it felt as though they had come as far as was possible. He had wanted Roy to like him, then to be with him, then to take him. All this had happened, in the blink of an eye it seemed, and looking down at Roy's peaceful face he wondered what else there was.

What more could he give? He had relinquished everything to the brunette, every scrap of his pride and vulnerability. He had let himself be changed, touched, hurt, and comforted. Roy had certainly treated him with kindness and patience, but what need was there for that now?

Edward was coming to realize that he had no idea what to do next. The kind of intimacy he'd only dreamed of had come to pass with the one person he had ever wanted it with. What was the next step? Was this the end of their experience? The blond was unsure, and frightened by the thought that he no longer had anything to give to Roy.

He didn't want it to be over. But how to make his partner stay? Again he returned to the question: What more could he give?

Bitterness burned his heart at the thought that all the pain and anxiousness he'd gone through to have a moment of bliss with the brunette was not enough. He'd done it for Roy, no, for what he imagined they could be together. At the time, it had been completely worth it; it had been worth the sound of his name on Roy's lips, of the feel of his skin and his gentle touch.

But what to do now?

Ed fell back onto the earth in surrender, rolling dejectedly away from his companion, mindful of the ache in his body. The physical pain, minimal as it was, rode on the anguished thoughts crowding his head. The blond squeezed his eyes shut, determined not to cry for another time that day.

--

Roy Mustang awoke slowly, gradually, his body opening itself to the world with a lazy uncloaking of his awareness. He had been right to choose this place, the place where they lay; The clover was soft here.

The bright sun and beautiful weather seemed to share his contentment. All in all, this was a wonderful day. The brunette turned his head and saw Edward lying a little ways away, curled-up. He approached carefully.

His hair smelled just like Roy remembered.

"Ed, are you awake?"

"Hm." The blond hardly sounded drowsy. Flame ran his fingers through those gold locks.

"Did you get some sleep, I hope?" Examining the cause, there seemed to be no reason why he shouldn't still be unconscious.

"I slept a little." He didn't sound good, and his report didn't sound much better. Roy frowned.

"Are you alright?" His body would be fatigued, in shock, he should have wanted to rest—unless his mind was unable.

"Yeah."

"Liar, come here." He couldn't forget, this was Ed; A boy who had depended on a cold, suit of armor for affection and distracted, selfish adults for support. He was a lone entity, an independent spirit, one that was already too jaded to readily accept all Roy had to offer. The brunette slid his hands beneath that warm body and lifted the smaller man towards him. The blond winced and shifted uneasily in Roy's hold.

"I'm sorry, you should have woken me up. Let's go inside." He stood, reveling for a moment in the realization that without his automail, Ed was easy to carry. There was some protesting, however.

"I don't need to be carried, you know." His charge grumbled.

"Maybe not, but I believe in consideration for those you care about. Besides, you must be sore." A wink accompanied this retort.

"Shut up!" Although Ed was quick to react instinctually, his inward reception greeted the words with a thankful analysis: A sentence that was pure Roy Mustang, complement, implication, and a little playfulness to take the edge off. Ed knew that Roy didn't like to be too serious when he could help it; The military had forced certain masks upon him, certain modes and forms to follow in order to secure success. When he could make a joke, could find time away from his superiors and duties to smirk a little, Flame was quick to indulge. Perhaps that was why he had loved teasing the blond so much.

This thought made Ed unclench a little and even go so far as to loop his arms around the brunette's neck. He sighed, forgetting his worries for a moment to enjoy a simple pleasure that he had never sampled before. A stab of guilt struck his heart when he found himself feeling especially grateful that it was Roy's warm flesh and muscle that propelled him over the fields, not the scraping steel—so similar to his automail—of his younger brother's former body.

"Relax." Ed started, not having noticed the tension that had snuck back into his body. Roy's voice, more than the meaning of his words, made the command easy to follow.

"Just how many times am I going to hear that today?" A typical reply. Roy knew his uncaring, sarcastic remarks to be a defense mechanism, a default to slip into when more thoughtful responses could not be conjured; He couldn't blame him for being disoriented, upset, anything and everything else.

They reached the house at last.

--

"Bath, tea, rest." Roy recited, depositing his charge on the smooth tiles of the bathroom. Ed fiddled with the hair tie around his wrist. "Don't even think about it." The blond looked up.

"Huh?"

"Your hair, leave it down. You won't need to tie it back in the water anyway." Flame crouched down beside the basin and gave one of the knobs an experimental twist.

"Why do I have to take a bath?" The smaller man grumbled, almost bashful on account of the reason he knew all too well.

"I'm just trying to keep our theme consistent for today; This will help you to relax." Roy glowed for a moment in triumph at the small smile he received for his light-hearted disposition.

"And you need to dump in hot water for that?"

"I understand that it's good practice." He smiled, returning to the knobs of the bath and testing the water with a critical hand. A pause. "I know you're in pain. I want to help, that's all. Don't worry, I'll try not to bother you by fussing too much." Another smile, this one a little more strained than its predecessor. Ed frowned.

"You don't have to worry about me at all." He said flatly.

"Of course I don't." The knobs were abandoned. "There is nothing _necessary _about what I'm doing. However, this is what I _want_ to do, Edward, I want to do this for you." The room was filled by the sound of the water, by the light mist gathering in the corners of the ceiling.

The blond stood abruptly.

"What are you doing?" Roy followed suit.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Those sinful pants slid down Fullmetal's hips. "I'm taking a bath." And somehow it was alright that the arc of their conversation had been completely ignored, if indeed it had. Cooperation, it wasn't something Edward gave without meaning. Roy stood back and sternly forced his eyes to look away, a small way recognizing Ed's acknowledgement of his words.

Presently, the golden-eyed youth had settled himself in the wet, foggy basin. It was heaven. He leaned back against the tiles, letting his muscles go slack and the aches slowly fade. It was healing, it was bliss.

Roy walked past the tub on his way to the door, realizing the possibility that his lover would want time alone.

"Hey," a wet, firm hand seized the belt loop of his pants. "going somewhere?" Roy tried valiantly to ignore the tingling Ed's warm, damp fingers sent through his body.

"I thought you might want—"

"You thought wrong. Get in." And all the brunette could do was grin and comply.

In contrast to the mountain of unspoken words hovering between the two men, the warm water and steamy air spoke for itself. Fluidity, a perfect flush that made the skin shine, droplets that carved sensual paths all over the body, these things made them remember the project in sight. Water, it seemed, could very nearly wash worries away.

Ed forgot himself in the feel of Roy's hands sliding over his chest, tracing his lips, pushing matted, damp hair behind his ears and lacing his fingers through it.

"Roy, I really have no idea what I am doing." He remarked helplessly, leaning into his companion's touch. Fears from before resurfaced, now cast in a different light.

"Yes you do." Smooth, soft tones that told the blond so much more than that.

The brunette kissed his forehead.

"I don't have an ounce of experience." Ed protested. Flame chuckled.

"I'm hurt, Edward."

"What? I mean with relationships, with people, I don't know! I don't know where we go from here, Roy." He leaned his head dolefully on the brunette's welcoming shoulder, closing his eyes and letting the hands working their way down his back do their job.

"Where we go is up to us. It's not so complicated, you only have to deal with yourself and me." He turned and bit down on the blond's ear gently. "Whatever you want, Ed, whatever you need." The timbre of his voice dropped, low, soothing, something too intimate for ears alone.

"Anything, Edward…" Fullmetal selected his new, flesh hand to partake in the journey from Roy's shoulder to his neck and cheek. He sat back.

"I'm feeling better, Roy." The blond stated, moving his fingers carefully over his companion's face with more confidence than he'd thought he had. Another laugh.

"You blatant little tease." Ed chose to ignore the third word and leaned forward instead.

"Yeah? So what?" He'd forgotten how the surface bellow him would disappear when Roy kissed him, how the need for air was suddenly replaced with the desire for something else, bodily functions aside. Where the lips of the Flame Alchemist were to be found, there was no need for anything else.

Ed met his partner with a cornucopia of skill and enthusiasm waiting to be fueled, honed, practiced until every brush and slide of their lips was equal in passion and practice. The Fullmetal Alchemist had never imagined that he'd ever pride himself on kissing.

Distantly, Ed was aware of the brunette shifting away from him. The new hand fisted itself in dark locks.

"It's okay."

"No, it's too soon, I won't hurt you." Breathless, words that had no meaning next to the feelings behind them, emotions that shown through the fiercer now that two had already become one.

"Didn't I tell you before? That sort of thing doesn't work on me." Then Ed understood what he needed to say. "Roy, you won't hurt me." Maybe the brunette was right, maybe he did know what he was doing, because the Flame Alchemist believed him.

The hot breath they exhaled was lost in the haze of muggy atmosphere around them, of condensation on the tiles of the wall. Surrounded by so much warmth, of the soothing caress of water and the burn of skin so close Ed was lost once more.

Only the observation that the pain was less than before, than Roy was holding him, only these things kept him anchored in the world of literal basics: solid, liquid, gas. His mind ran wild amid the strain and pleasure of their union, somehow oblivious yet acutely aware simultaneously.

No words, but a look passed between them near their descent and Ed was surprised at the coiled force with which Roy pulled him close when it was over. Smiling, he returned the embrace and, taking note of the shaking tension in those damp shoulders, he smiled before bringing his lips to his lover's ear.

"Relax, Roy."

--

Sorry for the short chapter, the next one might be the last—and also much longer. Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Thank you to my readers, I love you all. Thank you also to my reviewers, because that lets me know that my story matters to people and inspires me to keep going. Thank you!


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